Selector
A selector (sometimes referred to as a floor selector, or an elevator leveling cam) is a mechanical device that shows the position of the elevator car in the shaft using electric circuit and without memory. Mechanical selectors were common in relay-driven elevators installed before around 1985. These devices are found in the elevator machine room and are only found in traction elevators. This device on older elevators is currently being replaced with magnetic switches, or proximity sensors (usually a set of vane sensors), or even a Tape Head for the car top and limit switches in the top and bottom of the shaft (with microprocessor controller). Overview Typically, an elevator selector consists of multiple switches and a moving carriage. "Carriage" or "wheel" design The carriage or wheel moves up and down with the help of a special chain or tape (or commonly known as selector tape in the elevator industry) attached on the carriage and the elevator car. This chain or tape creates a continuous loop in the shaft and it is moved by a wheel on the selector. As the car moves up and down, so does the carriage, and this carriage activates multiple switches inside the selector (to scale) which activates floor position indicator lamps (both inside and outside) and other switches. These switches are connected to the relay-powered controller. These types of selector may cause some leveling error when the elevator car stopped at the landing. The solution of this problem will be resolved by both "inch up" and "inch down" buttons. "Screw drive" or "rotating cam" design The screw drive or rotating cam usually works with vane sensors installed on the elevator car top. To receive the signal from the elevator car top to the controller, the selector will move up and down when the sensors triggered by the metal plate installed among with the guide rails. These power either a motor or electromagnetic switches, and the platform flips switches (not to scale) to a different position. These types of selector may cause some positioning errors when the elevator car stopped at the landing. The solution of this problem will be resolved by sending the elevator to either the top or bottom serving floor. Selector design by elevator manufacturers Each elevator manufacturers creates their own design of selector. Armor This selector has a wheel, with teeth on it. There is something next to the wheel, which might keep it aligned to one of the positions for the floors. There are 2 mechanisms, with electromagnets, that advance the wheel to the next position, in either direction. There are most likely contacts/switches on the back of the selector, and a bar attached to the wheel by an axle that touches those contacts/switches. Old elevator controller ARMOR|Armor selector Dover Type 1 This type of Dover selector appears to be a vertical bar selector. 1966 Dover traction unit.|1966 Dover selector Type 2 This type of Dover selector has a rotating disk design, though it appears that there are sensors that detect the disks, instead of contacts, and it is horizontal. Elevator Machine Room 2-0|1982-1983 Dover selector Express Lift AC single speed (AC/1)/two speed (AC/2) The Express Lift selector design from the UK for AC-powered elevators is a rotating cam design. In the elevator shaft there are vanes mounted on the guiderails of each floors. These vanes are activated by a vane sensor on the top of the elevator car (which near the modern design). Once each vanes are contacted each other, they activates electromagnetic switches on the controllers and thus rotates the selector cam. (1 4) PROBABLY THE BEST 'elevator relay logic vid' in the world! - Part 1 of 4|1970s Express Lift with mechanical selector (video: mrmattandmrchay) DC The selector used in Express Lift DMR (DC traction) elevators consists of a large cabinet with two small moving carriages (which represents the elevator car) fixed in a rail inside the cabinet. On the top of the cabinet there is a very small motor which lifts these small carriages. GAL This selector is a vertical bar selector. G A L elevator controller with vertical selector|GAL selector Montgomery This selector has a platform that moves up and down. It appears that there are switches, that get flipped when the platform passes by them, and the switches would be in different positions depending on what floor the elevator is on. Montgomery Elevator Control Logic @ Hotel Seattle|1970s? Montgomery elevator selector (Credit to Jersey Mike's Rail Videos) Otis Circa 1920s and earlier Video of circa 1920s or older Otis selector Circa 1930s-circa 1970s The selector design used on some old Otis elevators in the 1960s-1980s is a rotating copper disc design with vertical bar on the back, for DC elevators. Another Otis design in the same era, which might not have existed in the United States is only a vertical bar design, for AC elevators. OtisFloorSelector.jpg|Vintage Otis selector (rotating copper disc design) (Credit to Flickr user Tom Magliery, CC BY-NC-SA 2.0 license) 1971 Otis elevators Part 2 - The motor room (1 million views)|1970s Otis mechanical selector (rotating copper disc design) (video: mrmattandmrchay) OLD 1970s OTIS elevator machinery - lift motor room tour|1970s Otis mechanical selector (vertical bar design) (video: mrmattandmrchay) Schindler Unlike many manufacturers, Schindler used a selector that is round like a wheel, and rotates to the left and right. For this design, the elevator car is attached to a cable which turns a big drum on the back of the selector. On the outside of the selector wheel are switches which activates floor position indicator lamps, start/slow down switch, and other switches. Reber-Schindler wheel selector.png|1970s Reber-Schindler wheel selector mounted on the back wall (Credit to YouTube user Heritage Elevators) Schindler_elevator_floor_selector.jpg|1970s Schindler selector (Credit to YouTube user mrmattandmrchay) OMG! A Platt Schindler motor room! (PART 1 of 2) READ WARNING in description|1960s Platt Schindler elevator with mechanical selector (video: mrmattandmrchay) HotelExploring!! Hotel Saudi Arabia. Unlocked old lift motor room (Part 2of2)|1970s Schindler elevator with mechanical selector (video: mrmattandmrchay) Staley This selector has a wheel, with teeth on it. There might be a mechanism behind the wheel, which might keep it aligned to one of the positions for the floors. There are 2 mechanisms, with electromagnets, that advance the wheel to the next position, in either direction. There are most likely contacts/switches on the back of the selector, and a bar attached to the wheel by an axle that touches those contacts/switches. Circa1960 STALEY elevator controller|Staley selector Watson This selector has a platform that moves up and down, most likely with a screw drive mechanism, and the platform flips switches to a different position, depending on if the elevator is above, or below that floor. Old and unique WATSON elevator|Watson selector Westinghouse This selector has a part that moves up and down, which presses switches. The part that moves up and down moves in steps. It moves after the elevator goes up, or down 1 floor. EXCLUSIVE Machine Room to 1960 Westinghouse & 2002 TKE Traction Elevators|1960 Westinghouse selector (skip to 6:04 to see the selector) (Credit to CVE9120) Unknown Selector.jpg|Unknown selector 1, Switzerland (Credit to Flickr user Tambako The Jaguar, CC BY-ND 2.0 license) YEAR1981 320 relays,1280 contacts, 35 resistors it would take to build an elevator controller|Unknown selector 2, possibly Armor, GAL, or O'Thompson? Unknown selector 3 Unknown selector 4 (Otis?) Unknown selector 5 (similar to 3) Selectors from other manufacturers 1988 GoldStar floorselector.jpg|GoldStar selector from 1988 (next to the controller cabinet) FB_IMG_1471097778136.jpg|Hitachi floor selector from 1982. Vintage Mitsubishi selector.jpg|1970s-1980s Mitsubishi mechanical floor selector, mounted on the relay-based controller. DSC09985b.jpg|Waygood & Co selector from 1905ELEVATOR FROM 1905 - Explaining the logic + floor selector in action. Videos This is the build up to my EPIC SELECTA MOVIE|Video: mrmattandmrchay]] The promised "EPIC SELECTA MOVIE" - A beginners guide to 1970's relay logic circuits!|Video: mrmattandmrchay DSC09985b.jpg|The Waygood & Co selector in action and explained|link=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PcryJzs_RPA See also *Tape Head Category:Elevator systems